In a toll system as an example of a system for the collection of tolls for the use of traffic areas which are subject to tolls by a vehicle, the problem arises of detecting the use by a vehicle of a traffic area which is subject to tolls and of collecting a traffic-area-specific and vehicle-specific toll for this traffic area which is subject to tolls. No toll is to be incurred for a traffic area which is not used by the vehicle.
Typical traffic areas are sections of roads or sections of routes, in particular those of multi-lane roads—for example freeways—which can be characterized on the access side or at the beginning by an access slip road and on the exit side or at the end by an exit slip road. An alternative characterization is a road section or route section with a defined direction of travel (for example direction of travel to the north or alternatively direction of travel to the south). From the prior art it is known to detect the driving of a vehicle onto a traffic area which is subject to tolls by evaluating position-related data of the vehicle in that it is detected on the basis of the position-related data that the vehicle has to be located on the traffic area which is subject to tolls.
This is possible, for example, by virtue of a vehicle device which is carried along by the vehicle and which comprises a position-determining device, for example a GNSS receiver which receives data from satellites of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) which are suitable for determining positions—and outputs position-related data. A processor which is included in the vehicle device compares the position-related data with geographic data of geo-objects which represent the traffic areas which are subject to tolls (also referred to as tariff objects), here the route section which is subject to tolls of a road which is subject to tolls. If the comparison reveals an association of the position-related data with a route section which is subject to tolls, for example through the detection that the position-related data correspond to a position of the vehicle inside an area which is spanned by the geographic data of the geo-object of the route section which is subject to tolls—it is considered that the traffic area which is subject to tolls is being used by the vehicle. As a result, a toll relating to the vehicle is collected for the use of the traffic area which is subject to tolls, partially retroactively, and a use authorization is therefore acquired.